Hospitals deploy RPA to tackle administrative overload and burnout. (Source: Freepik)

In the face of rising operational costs, chronic staff shortages, and mounting clerical responsibilities, hospitals are increasingly adopting robotic process automation (RPA) to streamline workflows and reduce burnout among healthcare professionals. This technology, once reserved for back-office functions in banking and manufacturing, is now taking root in the healthcare sector, with a clear mission: to automate time-consuming, rule-based tasks and return valuable hours to overstretched staff.

Healthcare workers—particularly nurses and medical administrators—have long been burdened by repetitive documentation, appointment scheduling, patient registration, billing, and insurance claims processing. According to a report from the American Medical Association, physicians spend nearly half their working hours on data entry and paperwork, often extending work beyond clinical hours. The result is a dangerous mix of professional fatigue, declining job satisfaction, and compromised care delivery.

Recognizing these challenges, hospitals in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and parts of Asia embrace RPA to digitize routine tasks, improve accuracy, and free up personnel for more critical, human-centric responsibilities. Unlike traditional automation, RPA software mimics human actions on computers—clicking through screens, filling out forms, extracting data, and sending notifications—without requiring changes to existing IT systems.

“RPA allows us to process claims that used to take two days in under 20 minutes,” said Anne Goldberg, director of administrative services at a mid-sized hospital in Massachusetts. “It’s been a game changer for our finance team and frontline clinicians.”

Early adopters report measurable benefits. In India, one of the country’s largest private hospital networks implemented RPA bots to automate over 50 back-office processes, cutting transaction times by 70% and reducing manual errors by half. In Singapore, a government hospital used RPA to digitise discharge summaries and streamline follow-up appointment bookings, enabling nurses to spend more time at patients’ bedsides than at their desks.

Beyond efficiency, RPA adoption is increasingly seen as a workforce support strategy. With burnout now considered a public health crisis in several countries, healthcare administrators are searching for technologies to ease pressure on workers without compromising care. Rather than replacing staff, RPA tools are designed to augment them, handling the repetitive while humans handle the complex.

The global healthcare automation market, valued at USD 35.6 billion in 2022, is expected to reach over USD 90 billion by 2030, with RPA playing a significant role in this expansion, according to market research firm Grand View Research. Much of this growth is driven by hospitals’ desire to improve their revenue cycle, reduce administrative overhead, and comply with stringent reporting requirements.

As healthcare systems embrace this shift, emerging economies are also stepping in to power the transformation.

Vietnam, in particular, has become a critical digital partner in global healthcare automation. Known for its growing tech talent and competitive IT outsourcing services, Vietnam is home to companies that specialise in delivering advanced RPA and AI solutions to healthcare providers worldwide.

One such player is Bestarion, a leading IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) company headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City. With over 20 years of experience, Bestarion has supported hospitals and healthcare organisations in modernising their operations through end-to-end supply chain and administrative solutions powered by AI, RPA, and analytics.

The company provides various services tailored for the healthcare sector, including demand forecasting, automated procurement, insurance claims processing, and supplier performance management. Its RPA solutions are designed to work seamlessly with hospital ERP systems, enabling faster deployment and measurable outcomes.

“Our goal is to help healthcare organisations improve operational efficiency and alleviate the stress placed on staff by high-volume, repetitive tasks,” said Mr. Nguyen Van Phi Hung. “The results go beyond cost savings—automation directly contributes to better patient experiences and more sustainable work environments for healthcare teams.”

As the world continues to face unpredictable disruptions—from ageing populations to ongoing global supply chain instability—the need for scalable, flexible solutions in healthcare has never been more urgent. Robotic process automation offers a practical path forward, empowering hospitals to operate more efficiently without sacrificing quality of care.

Still, experts caution that technology alone cannot solve all healthcare challenges. For automation to be truly effective, hospitals must invest in change management, upskill their staff, and ensure that digital tools are integrated with a human-centred approach.

Nevertheless, the momentum behind RPA is undeniable. From small clinics to large hospital networks, healthcare institutions are beginning to see automation as an efficiency tool and a vital part of workforce resilience and long-term sustainability.

As more hospitals deploy RPA to tackle administrative overload and combat burnout, Vietnam’s role as a reliable digital partner continues to grow, cementing the country’s position in the global health tech ecosystem.